59 



6' & 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN 



F 159 
. G3 U5 
Copy 1 



HEARING 



BEFOEE THE 



COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY OF THE 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



H. R. 9137 



SAMUEL W. McCALL, Massachusetts, Chairman 
E. L. HAMILTON, Michigan 
CHARLES H. BURKE, South Dakota 
WILLIAM M. HOWARD, Georgia 
CHARLES R. THOMAS, North Carolina 
MALCOLM E. RIDEOUT, Jr., Clerk 



61st Congress, 2d Session 



WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1910 



q.3^ 



21 1910 

fctFI, 



vU 



MONUMENT AT GERMAETOWN. 



Committee on the Library, 

Tuesday, May 10, 1910. 
The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Samuel W. McCall 
(chairman) presiding. 

STATEMENT OF HON. J. HAMPTON MOORE, A REPRESENTATIVE 
FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

The Chairman. What is the number of your bill, Mr. Moore ? 

Mr. Moore. H. R. 9137. 

The Chairman. That bill provides for an appropriation of $30,000 
as a part contribution toward the erection of a monument at German- 
town, Pa., in commemoration of the founding of the first permanent 
German settlement in America. We will be glad to hear you, Mr. 
Moore. 

Mr. Moore. The provisions of this bill are very plain and simple. 
It proposes that the Government shall contribute $30,000 on condi- 
tion that $30,000 shall be raised outside, and that the work shall 
proceed under the direction of the Secretary of War, the governor of 
the State of Pennsylvania, and the president of the National German- 
American Alliance, and that after the construction of the monument 
there shall be no expense to the Government of the United States, 
but that the care and keeping of the said monument shall be and 
remain with the city of Philadelphia. 

Mr. Chairman, realizing the pressure upon all Members of Congress 
at this time, and particularly those of the Library Committee, who 
are mostly chairmen of committees, I appreciate the very great cour- 
tesy that you show us this morning in calling this meeting. The 
gentlemen who will be presented to you come from a distance. They 
are representatives of that great body of American citizens who are 
descendants from the first German settlers and who have contributed 
as much to the welfare of this country as those who came from any 
of the older countries. The great value and public service of the 
German immigrant can not be underestimated. To-day I think we 
shall be able to show you that there were in the original settlement 
of Germans in this country those of whom the descendants of that 
particular band and all other native Americans may well be proud. 
Their contributions to the substantial welfare of the country, their 
adherence to the law, their devotion to the domestic tie, their contri- 
butions to industry, to literature, and to science and the arts, all 
seem to justify the establishment of some memorial in honor of the 
forefathers of the German race in America. 

I had hoped the president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, 
the former governor of Pennsylvania, who is a distinguished scholar , 



4 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 

might be present, and had arranged that he should be here, but 
unfortunately he has been detained and we are unable to present him. 
But at his instance I shall, with your permission, read a letter which 
he has very hurriedly indited for this occasion. It comes from Pen- 
nypacker's Mills, Schwenksville, Pa., and is dated May 7, 1910. 

My Dear Moore: I much regret that I shall not be able to appear before the con- 
gressional committee on Tuesday in behalf of a monument at Germantown, although 
I regard it almost as a duty. The national importance of the commemoration of that 
settlement consists not alone in the fact that there in 1683 was the beginning of that 
vast immigration of Germans to North America, which has had so great an influence 
upon our civilization nor upon the further fact that there in 1688 began the struggle 
against slavery in this country. In 1523 a sect arose in Germany which taught the 
doctrine of the separation of church and state and that there was no authority 
upon the part of the state to control questions of belief. Its doctrine promulgated 
over Europe led to the establishment of the Quakers in England and to the settlement 
of two American colonies, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and became the foundation 
stone of the National Constitution and Government. They were the members of this 
sect who founded Germantown, and the tremendous significance of the event in Ameri- 
can history does not need to be detailed. 
Sincerely, yours, 

Samuel W. Pennypacker. 

Hon. J. Hampton Moore. 

In addition to this letter, Mr. Chairman, I desire to refer to a work 
by Judge Pennypacker entitled, "The Settlement of Germantown." 
This book, which I have borrowed from the Congressional Library 
for this occasion, is in constant use as a reference book upon questions 
affecting German-American history. I respectfully commend it to 
the committee should further detailed information be desired. 

Without taking more time, I desire now to present as the first 
proponent of this bill, the president of the National German- American 
Alliance of the United States of America. The association of which 
this gentleman is president has a membership of at least 2,000,000 
people scattered throughout the United States, descendants, many of 
them, of this first settlement which established itself so happily for 
the future of this country in what we now regard as the sacred pre- 
cincts of Germantown. I have the honor of presenting to you Dr. C. 
J. Hexamer, of Philadelphia, president of the National German Alli- 
ance. 

STATEMENT OF C. J. HEXAMER, PH. D., LI. D., PRESIDENT OF 
THE NATIONAL GERMAN- AMERICAN ALLIANCE. 

Doctor Hexamer. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, 
I represent the National German-American Alliance, a patriotic 
American organization incorporated by an act of Congress of the 
United States, with state branches in every State of the Union, 
with a total membership of over two millions of Americans of German 
birth or extraction. I beg leave to file with the committee the act of 
incorporation of the alliance. 

AN ACT To incorporate The National German-American Alliance. 

B( it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 
in Congress assembled, Thai C. .1. Bexamer, M. D. Learned, Adolph Timm, John 
Weber, Hans Weniger, II. ('. Bloedel, all of the State <>f Pennsylvania; John Tjarks, 
of the State of Maryland; ('. C. Lienau, of the State of "New Jersey; Kurt Voelckner, 
of the Distrid of Columbia; II. A. C. Anderson, of the State of Now York; Gustavo 
Bender, of the State of Texas; Joseph Keller, of the state <»f 1 iuliaua; V. O. Martin, of 
Of the State of Idaho; Gustav Halbach, of the State of Ohio; II. .1. Xieustedt, of the 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 5 

State of Minnesota, officers and members of the National German-American Alliance 
of the United States of America, and their successors, be, and they are hereby, incor- 
porated and made a body politic and corporate of the District of Columbia under the 
name of "The National German-American Alliance of the United States of America." 
And by that name they and their successors may have and use a common seal, and 
may alter and change the same at pleasure, and may make by-laws and elect officers 
and agents, and may take, receive, hold, and convey real and personal estate necessary 
for the purposes of the society. 

Sec 2. That this corporation shall be perpetual and have all the privileges accorded 
by existing laws or that may hereafter be enacted by the Congress of the United States. 

Sec. 3. That this corporation, composed of the individuals aforesaid and their asso- 
ciates, under the name and style aforesaid, is formed for the purposes as follows: The 
conservation of the principles of representative government and the protection and 
maintenance of all civil and political rights; the protection of German immigrants 
against imposition and deception and to assist in their naturalization; the study of 
American institutions and the publication of American history; the cultivation of the 
German language, literature, and drama, and the perpetuation of the memory and 
deeds of those early German pioneers whose influence has been of incalculable benefit 
to the intellectual and economic development of this country and whose loyalty in 
times of stress and strife is a matter of history. 

Sec 4. That said corporation shall have a constitution and shall have power to 
amend the same at pleasure : Provided, That such constitution or amendments thereof 
do not conflict with the laws of the United States, or of any State. 

Sec 5. That said corporation shall have the right to hold its meetings at any place 
within the United States as may be best suited or most advantageous to the carrying 
out of the purposes for which this corporation is formed. 

Sec 6. That said corporation shall not engage in any business for gain, the purposes 
of said corporation being educational and patriotic. 

Sec 7. That Congress may at any time amend, alter, or repeal this act. 

Approved February 25, 1907. 

The Chairman. That is admitted. 

Doctor Hexamer. I should also like to file a resume of its principles, 
scope, and activities as a patriotic organization. 
The Chairman. That is admitted. 

The National German-American Alliance — Resume of its Principles, Scope, 

and Activity. 

[Incorporated by act of Congress.] 

The National German-American Alliance is a thoroughly American institution, 
being composed, as it is, of citizens of the United States of America, natives of 
German extraction and of Germans who have acquired the right of citizenship. The 
alliance calls on all Germans in this country to acquire the right of citizenship, as soon 
as they are legally entitled to it, to take an active part in public life, and to exercise 
their right at the polls fearlessly and according to their own judgment. (Principles 
and platform, par. 6.) In looking over the principles of the alliance, we can not 
help quoting another passage, which reads: "Always true to the adopted country, 
ever ready to risk all for its welfare, sincere and unselfish in the exercise of the duties 
of citizenship, respecting the law — still remains the watchword." 

And now let us proceed, having satisfied ourselves that the alliance "has no exclu- 
sive interests in view, nor the founding of a state within a state," to investigate briefly 
its scope and activity. Again, we can do no better than to quote from its principles 
the following initial passage: "The National German-American Alliance aims to 
awaken and strengthen the sense (consciousness) of unity among the people of German 
origin in America with a view to promote the useful and healthy development of the 
power inherent in them as a united body for the mutual energetic protection of such 
legitimate desires and interests not inconsistent with the common good of the country 
and the right and duties of good citizens." 

Now for a few historical data: The alliance was founded in Philadelphia, Pa., on 
June 19, 1900; constituted on October G, 1901, and incorporated by act of Congress, 
February 25, 1907. It now numbers over 2,000,000 members and has branches in 
every State of the Union. The alliance, as such, retrains from all interference in party 
politics, and excludes, strictly, questions and matters of religion, being, therefore, 
nonpolitical and nonsectarian. 



b MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ALLIANCE SINCE ITS FOUNDING. 

Let us now cast a retrospective glance upon the notable achievements of the alliance. 
Here we have a petition in behalf of the Boers in South Africa, who so valiantly defended 
their rights. Said petition bore the signatures of 1,500,000 friends of the cause of 
liberty. 

Next our attention is directed to the successful presentation of a bill in Congress 
for a monument in honor of Gen. Baron von Steuben. 

And thirdly, a successful agitation for pensioning Gen. Peter Osterhaus, and for 
his admission into the ranks of the retired officers of the Regular Army. 

OTHER WORKS OF THE ALLIANCE. 

On the 1st day of August, 1907, the alliance arranged a German Day at the James- 
town Exposition in commemoration of the first Declaration of Independence that was 
promulgated by German- Americans on the same day in the year 1775. 

The presentation of a memorial to Congress, advocating the establishment of inter- 
national courts of arbitration. 

On June 6, 1906, the alliance again advocated the establishment of a commission 
on immigration, and the distribution of immigrants in localities where they are needed 
most. 

On January 13, 1907, there was held at Baltimore a conference on immigration to 
which ten States had sent delegates. The resolutions of this conference were sub- 
mitted to the national convention. 

When San Francisco was visited by an earthquake, the alliance opened a subscrip- 
tion list with S300, and sent to the San Francisco branch on July 12, 1906, the sum 
of $2,420.75. 

On February 19, 1907, the National German-American Alliance was incorporated 
by act of Congress, the Judicial Committee of the House of Representatives and that 
of the Senate having convinced themselves that the alliance is a strictly American 
organization. 

Later on, an agreement was ratified with "The Ancient Order of Hibernians in 
America," to act in concert in matters of interest to both organizations. 

Among other things, the following were: Resolved, That the joint conference 
committee of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America and of the National German 
American Alliance unanimously declare an alliance between the people of both 
organizations for the good of this Republic, on the following basis: 

1. Any measure of mutual interest passed by the executive committee or by a 
national convention of either organization shall be transmitted by its national officers 
to the national officers of the allied associations for approval and action. 

2. To oppose an alliance of any kind, secret or otherwise, with any foreign power 
on the part of the Government of the United States. 

3. To recommend a systematic investigation of the share all races have had in the 
development of our country, in war and m peace, from the earliest days, as the basis 
for the founding and continuance of an unprejudiced and unbiased American history. 

From the above notes and quotations we glean the following facts: 

1. That the National German American Alliance is a thoroughly American organiza- 
tion. 

2. That it keeps aloof from partisan politics and sectarianism. 

3. That it urges on all Germans who come to this country the necessity of becoming 
citizens in the land of their adoption. 

4. That it takes deep interest in the proper education of youth, ever mindful of 
the words of Sallust: "Orandum est nobis, ut sit mens sana in corpore sano" (We 
should pray for a sound mind in a sound body). 

5. The alliance advocates all legal and economically correct measures for the pro- 
tection of the forests of the United States. ' 

Officers of the National German American Alliance are: 

President— Dr. C. J. Hexamer, Philadelphia. 

First vice-president — Joseph Keller, Indianapolis, Ind. 

Second vice-president— John Tjarks, Baltimore, Rid. 

Third vice-president -Col. E. C. Stahl, Trenton, N. J. 

Fourth vice-president linn. John I). Cappelmann, Charleston, S. C. 

Treasurer- H. Weniger, Philadelphia. 

Financial secretary II. Weder, Philadelphia. 

Secretary — Adolph Timin, Philadelphia. 



MONUMENT AT GEEMANTOWN. 7 

PRINCIPLES OF THE NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OF AMERICA. 

The National German-American Alliance aims to awaken and strengthen the sense 
of unity among the people of German origin in America, with a view to promote the 
useful and healthy development of the power inherent in them as a united body for 
the mutual energetic protection of such legitimate desires and interests not incon- 
sistent with the common good of the country and the right and duties of good citizens; 
to check nativistic encroachments; to maintain and safeguard the good friendly 
relations existing between America and the old German fatherland. To read the 
history of German immigration is to be convinced how much it has contributed to 
the advancement of the spiritual and economic development of this country, and to 
realize what it is still destined to contribute, and how the German immigrant has at 
all times stood by his adopted country in weal or in woe. 

The alliance demands, therefore, the full honest recognition of these merits and 
opposes every attempt to belittle them. Always true to the adopted country, ever 
ready to risk all for its welfare, sincere and unselfish in the exercise of the duties of 
citizenship, respecting the law — still remains the watchword. It has no exclusive 
interests in new nor the founding of a State within a State, but sees in the centraliza- 
tion of the inhabitants of German origin the shortest road to and the surest guarantee 
for the attainment of the aims set forth in this constitution. It calls, therefore, on all 
German organizations, as the organized representatives of the German spirit and 
manners, to cooperate with it for their development, and recommends, further, the 
formation of societies in all the States of the Union for the preservation of the interests 
of German Americans, looking toward an eventual centralization of these societies 
into a great German-American alliance, and would have all German societies consider 
it a duty and an honor to join the organization in their respective States. The alliance 
engages to labor firmly and at all times with all the legal means at its command for 
the maintenance and propagation of its principles, and to defend them energetically 
wherever and whenever they are in danger. Its purposes are the following platform: 

1. The alliance as such refrains from all interference in party politics, reserving, 
however, the right and duty to defend its principles, also in the political field, in 
case these should be attacked or endangered by political measures. The alliance 
will inaugurate and support all legislation for the common good that is sure to find 
unanimous approval of its members. 

2. Questions and matters of religion are strictly excluded. 

3. It recommends the introduction of the study of German into the public schools 
on the following broad basis : 

Along with English, German is a world language. Wherever the pioneers of civiliza- 
tion, trade, and commerce have penetrated we find the people of both languages repre- 
sented; wherever real knowledge of another language prevails more generally, there 
an independent, clear, and unprejudiced understanding is more easily formed and 
mutual friendly relations promoted. 

4. We live in an age of progress and invention; the pace of our time is rapid and 
the demands on the individual are inexorable; the physical exertion involved in- 
creases the demands on the bodily force; a healthy mind should live in a healthy 
body. For these reasons the alliance will labor for the introduction of systematic 
and practical gymnastic (physical culture) instruction in the public schools. 

5. It further declares in favor of taking the school out of politics, for only a system 
of education that is free from political influence can offer the people real and satis- 
factory schools. 

6. It calls on all Germans to acquire the right of citizenship as soon as they are 
legally entitled, to it, to take an active part in public life, and to exercise their right 
at the polls fearlessly and according to their own judgment. 

7. It recommends either a liberal and modern interpretation or the abolition of 
laws tjiat put unnecessary difficulties in the way of acquiring the right of citizenship, 
and frequently entirely prevent it. Good character, unblamable upright life, obedi- 
ence to the laws should decide, and not the answering or nonanswering of arbitrarily 
selected political or historical questions, which easily confuse the applicant. 

8. It opposes any and every restriction of immigration of healthy persons from 
Europe, exclusive of convicted criminals and anarchists. 

9. it favors the abolition of antiquated laws no longer in accordance with the spirit 
of the times, which check free intercourse and restrict the personal freedom of the 
citizen. 

10. It recommends the founding of educational societies which will foster the 
German language and literature, teach those anxious to learn, and arrange courses of 
lectures on art and science and questions of general interest. 



8 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWX. 

11. It recommends a systematic investigation of the share Germans have had in 
the development of their adopted country, in war and in peace, in all kinds of German 
American activity, from the earliest days, as the basis for the founding and continuance 
of a German- American history. 

12. The alliance advocates all legal and economically correct measures for the pro- 
tection of the forests of the United States. 

.13. It reserves the right to extend or supplement this platform when new conditions 
within the scope of its time and aims make it desirable or necessary. 

Doctor Hexamer. As national president of this organization I 
am empowered to assure you that it is the unanimous wish of our 
members that this bill, H. R. 9137, be passed, because we feel that 
the first pioneers of the race which has contributed, in round num- 
bers, about one-third of our total population, and which has done so 
much to build up our glorious nation, deserves as much respect as 
the "Pilgrim fathers." The landing place of the "Pilgrim fathers" 
has been fittingly decorated through a liberal appropriation of 
Congress. Congress at the time appropriated $40,000 for that proj- 
ect. We only ask for $30,000. I beg leave to file the bill donating 
that amount to the Pilgrim fathers monument. 

The Chairman. That is admitted. 

AN ACT To appropriate the sum of forty thousand dollars as a part contribution toward the erection of 
a monument at 1'rovincetown, Mass., in commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrims and the signing 
of the Mayflower compact. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 
in Congress assembled, That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of forty thousand dollars, to aid in 
erecting a monument at Provincetown, Massachusetts, in commemoration of the 
first landing of the Pilgrims on Cape Cod and the signing of the compact in the cabin 
of the Mayflower in the harbor of said Provincetown: Provided, That the said sum of 
forty thousand dollars shall not be payable until there shall have been raised and 
made available for the erection of said monument an additional sum of at least forty 
thousand dollars: Provided further, That the design of said monument shall be approved 
by the Secretary of War, the governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and 
the president of the Cape Cod Pilgrims' Memorial Association; and the money for 
the erection of said monument shall be expended under the supervision of the Secre- 
tary of War, the governor of Massachusetts, and the president of the Cape Cod Pil- 
grims' Memorial Association: And provided further, That the responsibility for the 
care and keeping of said monument shall be and remain with the Cape Cod Pilgrims' 
Memorial Association, it being expressly understood that the United States shall 
have no responsibility therefor. 

Approved, June 8, 1906. 

Doctor Hexamer. The site of the first permanent settlement of 
German pioneers should likewise be marked. An artistic corner 
stone marking the site of the first permanent German colony in the 
United States at Vernon Park, Germantown, now the twenty- 
second ward of Philadelphia, was erected by the alliance in 1908, and 
the National German Alliance is prepared to donate the same amount 
as Congress to erect a suitable monument. These first pioneers of 
Germantown should be so honored, because they brought with them 
the highest ideals of liberty which have left an indelible impress on 
the American people. 

German Americans have always shown good common sense, 
and a just appreciation of the personal rights of others. While 
Puritan New Englanders maltreated unfortunate Quakers who fell 
into their hands, and "killed witches," the first successful German 
colony, at Germantown (now the twenty-second ward of Phila- 
delphia), in 1688 drew up a remonstrance against slavery — the first 
of all such protests. 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 9 

Bear with me a moment, while I will attempt to sketch what 
our nation owes to the German pioneers, their followers, and their 
descendants, whose memory is justly to be honored by the monu- 
ment, to which you are requested to contribute through an act of 
Congress. 

In 1690, Wilhelm Rittenhouse erected the first paper mill in 
America, on a branch of the Wissahickon, and the German section 
of Pennsylvania became a great publishing center. Prior to the 
Revolution there were more printing presses operated by Germans 
in Pennsylvania, and more books published by them than in the 
whole of New England. It was the German Pastorius who wrote 
the first schoolbook, it was the German Christopher Saur who 
printed the first Bible in any European language in America, and 
the German cloister Ephrata had its own printing press, paper mill, 
and bookbinderv as early as 1745, and was able to publish, in 1749, 
a German translation of the "Martyrer Spiegel," a folio volume of 
1,500 pages — the greatest literary undertaking of the American 
colonies. And no less a person than Benjamin Franklin found it 
necessary to cater to German trade by printing German books. 
Down to the Revolutionary war there were issued in Pennsylvania 
eight newspapers in English, while there were ten published in 
German. The Bible was printed in German, in America, three times 
and the Testament seven times before they were printed in English. 

As a defender of the soil the German has always been strong, and 
when, in 1756, the colonies were harassed by Indians, the Royal 
American Regiment, raised by order of Parliament, consisted mostly 
of Germans, including the officers; and a German, Conrad Weiser, 
acted as interpreter at the council with the Indians at Easton. Again, 
when the valley of the Mohawk was overrun by Indians, threatening 
New York, the German Nicolaus Herchheimer and his brave German 
followers led in the defense. It was the German Moravian missionary 
Fred. Post, whose eloquent addresses to the Indian warriors, near Fort 
Du Quesne, won them over to our side at a moment most critical in 
our colonial history. 

When the great revolutionary storm arose and it became necessary 
to fight for liberty, the German colonists w T ere not lacking in their 
devotion to the cause of freedom. One not of German birth has 
recently pointed out that as early as 1772 the German residents of 
Philadelphia, who were influential in business and civic affairs, 
organized an association called "The Patriotic Society of the City and 
County of Philadelphia." The object of the society was to encourage 
resistance to British authority in the colonies. In 1774, when the 
British ministry threatened to close the Boston port on account of the 
tea episode, the Germans of Philadelphia called a meeting to con- 
sider the situation, when they appointed a "correspondence com- 
mittee," the duty of which was to correspond with their German 
kinsmen of the other colonies urging them to get ready for the conflict 
which, to their minds, was inevitable. The provincial assembly 
which met in the same year was largely represented by Pennsylvania 
Germans, among whom may be mentioned Christopher Ludwig and 
George Hubley, of Philadelphia; Matthias Schlouch, of Lancaster; 
Christian Schultz, from Berks; Peter Kaechlein and Jacob Arndt, of 
Northampton, and Casper Weitzell, from Northumberland. In the 
convention held in January of the next year the Germans were still 



10 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 

more largely represented, and upon each occasion were unanimous 
in their determination to resist further British aggression, urging 
at the same time separation from the "mother country," which was 
no mother country of theirs, and they were not bound to the English 
colonists by any ties of blood or kinship, which would make them 
hesitate to take a stand against their English rulers. Later on, the 
correspondence committee issued a pamphlet in which was set forth 
that the "Germans of Pennsylvania had learned with satisfaction 
that the people, without regard to race, creed, or former nationality, 
whether rich or poor, had given their unqualified approval to the act 
of Congress, and that the Germans especially everywhere were taking 
measures to have the militia put in shape and were forming new 
military organizations, so that they should be ready to march wher- 
ever they should be needed, in the event of war; urging upon those 
Germans that could not enlist, for any reason, to contribute to the 
patriotic cause according to their ability." 

All these matters transpired before open hostilities, and after the 
war was entered upon they were the first to take up arms and among 
the last to lay them down. The roll of Revolutionary soldiers bristles 
with the names of Pennsylvania German soldiers, many of whom rose 
to great distinction. Bancroft, in his History of the Revolution, says 
of them: "The Germans of Pennsylvania were on the side of free- 
dom." 

Early in 1775 the Germans organized armed bodies in support of 
Congress. The boards of the German Society of Pennsylvania and of 
the Lutheran and Reformed churches issued manifestos, advocating 
armed resistance; and German associations began drilling. Michael 
Hillegas, of German parentage, became the first treasurer of the 
United Colonies, and later of the United States (grateful Pennsyl- 
vanians honored his memory by a statue at the State Capitol); and 
such men as George Schlosser, Jacob Schreiner, Jacob Arndt, and 
Casper Weitzell were leading members in Revolutionary organiza- 
tions. While Christopher Ludwig, whom Washington called "my 
honest friend," became superintendent of bakeries of the continental 
armies. At Charleston, S. C, Michael Kalteisen raised a company 
of German fusiliers; and on May 25, 1776, Congress formally accepted 
a German regiment recruited in- Pennsylvania and Maryland. At 
Woodstock, Va., the astonished world beheld the patriotic spectacle 
of a young German minister, the Rev. Peter G. Muehlenberg, exchang- 
ing his pulpit for the colonelcy of a German regiment— the man who, 
in reward for his bravery, was soon to become a brigadier, and later a 
major-general of the American Army (his statue graces the "Hall of 
Fame" in the National Capitol). In recounting American deeds of 
valor let us not forget the glorious fight of the Germans, under Col. 
Nicolaus Herchheimer (usually spelled Herkimer in our histories) 
against the British and Tories at Oriskany, N. Y. The First New York 
Battalion, like its colonel, Lasher, consisted largely of Germans, and 
Baron Weissenfels, a German, commanded other New York forces. 
Pennsylvania should never forget the valiant services of Daniel, John, 
Gabriel, and Joseph Hiester, nor that brave German, J. P. Schott, 
and his gallant dragoons. 

When the convention wanted a reliable printer, it did well to select 
one from the race at Gutenberg — Heinrich Miller, a German. 



MONUMENT AT GEEMANTOWN. 11 

Hallowed to every true American is the ground where that noble 
German, Baron de Kalb, shed his blood, righting that we might be 
free. And never can a grateful people forget the services of Baron 
von Steuben — who had learned the art of war under the great Fred- 
erick, and became the drillmaster and inspector-general of the United 
States Army — ''the right arm of Washington," as he has been called, 
and whose memory our grateful nation honored by a magnificent 
equestrian statue at the national capital. 

In the winter of 1776 the army of Washington was reduced to 3,000 
men — and in that terrible extremity he considered the necessity of a 
retreat to the west of the Alleghenies — when, just in the nick of time, 
the disheartened remnant of his army was reinforced by 1,500 recruits, 
which enabled him to win the battles of Trenton and Princeton. It 
should be spread in letters of gold upon the pages of our history that 
every man of them was from the soil of fair Germanized Pennsylvania. 

When the soldiers of Washington were starving, the men that gave 
their own personal bond for $100,000 — a very large sum in those 
days — to buy provisions for the suffering army were nine Germans. 
And when Mifrlin's motion that money be collected to purchase arms 
was negatively debated, another German-American patriot, Ludwig, 
arose, and in broken English thus cut short the flow of rhetoric: "Mr. 
President, I am only a poor gingerbread baker, but write me down for 
200 pounds." 

In 1787 the most important deliberations in our national history, 
the constitutional conventions, were inaugurated, and a German, 
F. A. Muehlenberg, a brother of the general, was elected president of 
the Pennsylvania convention. Later he was chosen Speaker of the 
First and Third Congresses, in which his deciding vote — there being a 
tie — on April 29, 1796, made Jay's treaty operative. This was a 
characteristic act of moral courage, for it drew down upon him the 
hate of the jingoes of his time. Although the adoption of the Con- 
stitution was a matter vital to our further existence as a nation, grave 
doubt then prevailed whether it would finally pass. Then German- 
Americans again demonstrated their sound common sense by a strong 
appeal for its speedy adoption. 

When, in 1812, and again in 1846, the piping times of peace were 
broken by rude blasts of war, numerous Germans fought valiantly for 
the country of their adoption. Against Mexico such able officers as 
J. F. Ballier, A. Moore, O. Zirkel, and A. Kautz enlisted in our armies. 
And when the poet on those memorable 12th, 13th, and 14th days of 
September, 1814, anxiously asked at Baltimore — 

Oh,, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, 

What so proudly we waved at the twilight's last gleaming — 

it was largely due to the Germans, who had so nobly responded, and 
who were in the front ranks of the defenders, that the banner still 
waived, and Gen. John Strieker, who commanded the American forces, 
and Maj. George Armistead, who defended Fort McHenry, were also 
of German blood. 

Then came the struggle for the abolition of slavery, and, naturally, 
the race which before all others in 1688 had protested against the 
crime of holding fellow-men in bondage, did more than its share in 
fighting for the cause of freedom. It was to preserve our nation's 
banner inviolate that thousands of men of German blood gave up 



12 MOXUMENT AT GEEMANTOWN. 

their lives. They died that not one star should be ruthlessly torn 
from the field of blue and that the stars and stripes might continue 
to wave intact — 

O'er the land of the free and the homes of the brave. 

It is well known that Germans saved Missouri for the Union. 
Few, however, realize with what enthusiasm they came to our 
national defense in those years of mortal strife among brothers, 
1861 to 1865, when some 200,000 of them served in the armies of 
the North. The first defenders that rallied round the flag when 
Sumter fell and brave men stood aghast, the first 530 volunteers 
who entered the city of Washington to shield our capital and defend 
Old Glory, were men from the German regions of Pennsylvania. It 
was, however, in peaceful pursuits that German settlers sought their 
greatest triumphs. When they took up arms it was from necessity 
of defense only, not for the love of slaughter — and so their fields 
blossomed as the rose, and their farms became ''garden spots" in 
the land. 

In every department of human industry the results of their knowl- 
edge and of their patient, assiduous toil are apparent. They built 
the first waterworks in our country, they established the first iron 
furnaces, glass works, textile mills," paper mills, chemical works, 
piano factories, made the first clocks, astronomical instruments, 
etc. As early as 1792, they bought up coal lands and organized" the 
Lehigh Coal Mining Company. The Brooklyn Bridge, "the eighth 
wonder of the world," was built b} T a German, John Roebling; and 
the great Nevada tunnel, one of the most stupendous of engineering 
undertakings, was executed by Adolph Sutro, a German. 

The brother of Mr. Sutro is here to-day to advocate the passage 
of this bill. 

And if one wishes to see what the Germans and their descendants 
are still doing as men of affairs, it is only necessary to look at the 
number of German names in business directories. 

In. our educational system German influence has been paramount 
from the kindergarten to the university, for even the name university 
is used by us in the German, not the English sense. 

The German-American teachers have a noble lineage, beginning 
with that learned schoolmaster, Pastorious, the settler of 1683, who, 
besides English, wrote in German, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, 
and Latin; and the patient pedagogue, Christopher Dock, whose 
"Schul Ordnung," written in 1750 and published in 1770, was the 
first treatise on pedagogy which appeared in America. The Germans 
devised Sunday schools, and Saur printed Sunday-school tickets 
thirty-six years before the system was inaugurated in England by 
Robert Raikes, who usually receives the credit of being the originator. 

To the German universities and technical high schools we owe an 
immense debt of gratitude, and such men as Dr. Andrew D. White, 
late ambassador to Germany, and the late United States Commis- 
sioner of Education, Dr. William T. Harris, have pointed out that 
intellectually Germany has been to us a "motherland." 

Many are not aware how powerful have been also the ancient cus- 
toms and characteristics the German has brought with him on our 
everyday life and the cultural development of our people. He has 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 13 

introduced his systems of physical culture, his music and song. To 
him we owe our two most beautiful festivals, that of Easter and 
Christmas, and to him we will owe — for he is the most democratic of 
all peoples in his tastes and enjoyments — a better appreciation of the 
fact which Herbert Spencer has so tersely expressed by " Every man 
is free to do that which he wills, provided he infringes n6t the equal 
freedom of any other man." 

And he teaches that domesticity which crystallizes in the belief that 
a man has no right to seek enjoyment in places where he can not take 
his wife and children with him. His happy family life has enabled 
him to accomplish with small pecuniary means what he has in the up- 
building of our land. He has been fruitful and multiplied, and needs 
no lectures on race suicide. 

Honor to whom honor is due. Honor the memory of those to whom 
we owe so much as a nation by passing this bill. 

Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I thank you for your courtesy. 

Mr. Thomas. That is a very interesting paper. Was Count Zin- 
zendorf a German-Moravian ? 

Doctor Hexamer. Yes, sir. He visited Pennsylvania in 1741. 

Mr. Thomas. And he made a settlement 

Doctor Hexamer. At Bethlehem; yes, sir. That is, his son-in-law, 
David Nitschmann, in 1738 made the settlement, and Zinzendorf on 
his arrival in 1741 named it Bethlehem. 

Mr. Thomas. And near Winston Salem? 

Doctor Hexamer. Yes, sir; in North Carolina the settlements of 
Bethabaca, Bethany, and Salem were made by German-Moravians 
about the year 1751. 

Mr. Moore. Doctor, do you know of any national memorial com- 
memorating the German settlement in America ? 

Doctor Hexamer. No, sir. In looking over the best general work 
on German- American history, for which a prize of $3,000 was awarded, 
The German Element in the United States (in two volumes), by 
A. B. Faust, I was astonished to find it had never been done. 

The Chairman. Can there be any question at all that this is the 
first place where the Germans settled ? 

Doctor Hexamer. None whatever, sir. There were of course Ger- 
mans in the country before that time. John Lederer, who explored 
the country from Maryland away down to the swamps of the Santee 
River, was a German, and the governor of the New Netherlands and 
later of New Sweden, Peter Minuit (Minuewit), was a German from 
Wesel. Then there were a number of Germans in the unfortunate 
settlement that was destroyed at Port Royal in South Carolina. But 
the first real permanent settlement exclusively German was that 
founded by Pastorius, and that settlement exists to the present day. 

The Chairman. How large a colony was the original settlement? 

Doctor Hexamer. Thirteen families; that is, the first original set- 
tlers who arrived on the ship Concord on the 6th of October, 1683 
(old style). 

The Chairman. How long after that was it before the place was 
named German town ? 

Doctor Hexamer. It was named Germantown at once. 

Mr. Moore. Will you briefly describe the manner in which they 
lived ? 



14 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 

Doctor Hexamer, The first winter after their coming they were 
exceedingly poor; the}' dug caves and erected small huts; but they 
were skilled mechanics, and by industry and thrift soon became well- 
to-do. They were mostly weavers of linen and hosiery, and for that 
reason the coat of arms of Germantown contains u Vinum, linum et 
textrinum" — ''Wine, linen, and the loom" — translated into German, 
"Der Wein, der Lein und der Webeschrein." It is due to them and 
their descendants that Philadelphia has become a great textile-man- 
ufacturing center. In reply to a former question in regard to Ger- 
man settlements in Xorth Carolina I may add that there was a 
German settlement in Xorth Carolina as early as 1710, one of the 
results of the exodus from the Palatinate in 1709, others settling in 
New York and in Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Thomas. The Germans from the Palatinate, with the Swiss, 
came over with Baron de Graff enried and made a settlement at my 
city of Xewbern, X. C, in 1710. 

Doctor Hexamer. Yes, sir. 

Mr. Thomas. Do you remember the date of the German-Moravian 
settlement at Winston-Salem, X. C, under Count Zinzendorf? 

Doctor Hexamer. I really do not remember the correct date. It 
was about 1751 the Moravians settled there. Perhaps Doctor 
Learned can give the exact date. 

Mr. Thomas. Was it not about the same time as the settlement at 
Germantown, Pa. '. 

Doctor Learned. Xo ; the Moravians came later; the first ones came 
and settled in Georgia. 

Mr. Thomas. Did not those Xorth Carolina German Moravians 
come down from Pennsylvania ? 

Doctor Learxed. Well, to Winston-Salem, they did. But the 
whole Moravian branch came from Georgia, you know. 

Mr. Thomas. Came from where? 

Doctor Learned. Georgia; that is, the advance guard of them. 

Mr. Thomas. Did not those Xorth Carolina Moravians come down 
from Pennsylvania \ 

Doctor Learxed. Part of them. 

Mr. Moore. Count Zinzendorf established a settlement at Xaza- 
reth, Pa. There is still an old institution there the traditions of 
which date back to him. 

Doctor Hexamer. The Germans introduced many more things 
than those I have mentioned to the committee; there is scarcely a 
skilled trade or technical profession that they did not first introduce 
in our country. The first kitchen garden was planted by the Ger- 
mans and the first botanical garden was introduced by them. And 
this holds good of their descendants, for Leidy in science, Gross in 
surgery, Pepper in medicine, Cramp in shipbuilding, Herreshoff , Lick, 
and Yerkes are names to be proud of, and as a merchant no American 
has ever surpassed John Wanamaker. 

Mr. Moore. Doctor, the appearance of yourself and these other 
gentlemen to-day is fairly representative of the sentiment of the 
Germans of the United States in regard to this bill, is it not ? 

Doctor Hexamer. They are unanimous on that. 

Mr. Moore. They have been informed as to the bill and that it was 
to be considered bv this committee ? 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 15 

Doctor Hexamer. They have passed resolutions everywhere 
requesting the passage of this bill. 

The Chairman. Do you think they agree that this is the proper 
place at which to commemorate the first German settlement ? 

Doctor Hexamer, Yes, sir. The German day is celebrated 
throughout the United States; it has almost become a national holi- 
day. In every hamlet and town throughout the United States the 6th 
of October is celebrated each year as the pioneer day. 

The Chairman. If any gentleman desires to extend or amplify 
his remarks before they are printed, he will have that opportunity. 
I would be glad to have in the record a pretty good account of this 
first settlement. 

Mr. Moore. I was going to ask Doctor Learned to follow along on 
that line of thought. I have here a volume entitled "Life of Francis 
Daniel Pastorius," a text-book upon German-American literature, 
of which Doctor Learned, professor of German at the University of 
Pennsylvania at the time it was written, was author. Doctor 
Learned is now the head of the department of German-American 
research in the University- of Pennsylvania. He has devoted much 
time to a study of the first German settlement; and inasmuch as he 
may speak of Pastorius, the founder of the German settlement, I shall 
read from his book a very few lines which appear in a " foreword" 
from former Governor Pennypacker. These are illustrative of the 
character of the man who founded the settlement at Germantown : 

The son of a judge and litterateur, he had been trained in the universities of Europe, 
and his powers had been broadened by travel and public discussion. It may well be 
doubted whether any other of the colonizers of America equaled him in intellectual 
cultivation and attainments. A linguist, he used with accuracy and fluency the Ger- 
man, English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Latin, and Greek languages. His Latin 
epigrams, poetry, and jeux d' esprit show a complete familiarity with that tongue and 
much literary facility. He may be regarded as the typical man of letters of his period 
in America, and his original productions are numerous. 

There is much more, of course, to be said about this remarkable 
man, but in view of the very brief time we have this morning I ask 
you now to listen to Doctor Learned. 

STATEMENT OF MARION DEXTER LEARNED, PH. D., L. H. D., 
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA. 

Doctor Learned. It is as a Yankee-German whose paternal ances- 
tors were English, settled at Charlestown, Mass., in 1624, and later 
went to the foot of Mount Monadnock, in New Hampshire, and whose 
maternal forebears were Welsh, settled first in Pennsylvania, and 
later moved to Maryland, that I appear as a member of the German- 
American Alliance to speak in behalf of the bill to erect a monument 
to the Germans in Germantown. 

The Chairman. What was the name of this Yankee-German 
ancestor ? 

Doctor Learned. The name of this ancestor was "Learned." 

My studies in the history of the Germans in America early attracted 
my attention to Francis Daniel Pastorius, the founder of German- 
town, and to the importance of this first permanent settlement in 
North America. Some twenty years ago I began to study the life 
and work of this man, and found in him a most remarkable repre- 
sentative of the scholarship of his time, a German jurist who nad 



16 MONUMENT AT GERMAN TOWN. 

studied at the best German universities, taken his degree in both 
kinds of law at the old University of Altdorf, which had the first 
professor of the jus publicum, or as we now say, " public law." Pas- 
torius came to this country as an idealist to escape the levities and 
frivolities of the Old World. He came under strong religious con- 
viction, the same kind of conviction that moved the Puritans and 
Quakers to seek refuge in the New World. The Germans who came 
with this scholar, jurist, and schoolmaster of Germantown were the 
forerunners of the great German immigration to America, the most 
significant continental element which came to American shores. 

The little group of Crefeld weavers who set up their looms in Ger- 
mantown in 1683, and thus established the first of those textile indus- 
tries which made Philadelphia a great manufacturing city, were a 
part of that great Flemish industrial movement which had stimulated 
the textile industries of England centuries before and was now to 
begin a new epoch in the great industrial development of America. 

The little colony of Germantown became the gateway through 
which the Germans began to find their way to the interior of Penn- 
sylvania and other colonies. In the wake of the Crefelders came 
the thousands of Swiss and Palatine farmers. At the time when 
the Puritans of Xew England were wresting a scanty living from 
their stone-set farms, obliged to clear away the rocks and make walls 
of them before they could plow the soil, and while the Cavalier 
planters of Virginia confessed that they were unable to raise more 
than three crops of tobacco in succession on their tide-water lands, 
because of their inability to fertilize these lands, and were obliged, 
accordingly, to send their overseers and slaves to take up new lands 
to the west. The Palatine farmers, on the other hand, following the 
Crefelders, in 1709 and thereafter, brought a new method of tilling 
and fertilizing the soil, handed down to them from the Romans in 
the agri decumates. These German farmers understood the art 
of selecting as well as tilling and fertilizing the soil, and of making 
it yield its gifts season after season under the touch of their industry, 
and transformed the woodland and the prairie into a blooming 
paradise. They moved out through the valleys of Pennsylvania 
into western Maryland, the valley of Virginia, along the Appalachian 
slopes, across the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee, along 
the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, on into the far West. They took 
with them their agricultural economy. They housed their stock and 
their crops, saving everything and wasting nothing. They felled 
the forest and conquered the prairie. They knew how to seek out 
the fat land, the red clay, and the heavy timberland; they knew 
that where a big tree grows a big crop will grow. Even Pastorius, 
scholar and dreamer as he w T as, looked out upon the great forest in 
front of his little house in Germantown and wished that he had a 
dozen strong Tyrolese w r oodmen to fell the giant oaks and chestnuts, 
that the Germans might plant their fields. The introduction of the 
textile industry by the Crefelders and of progressive agriculture by 
the Palatines was the beginning of that great economic service 
which the Germans have given to the material development of 
America. Our historians have begun to recognize this service. Men 
like Doctor Jamison, of the Carnegie Institution, and Professor 
Turner, of the University of Wisconsin, have already turned their 
attention to the progress of this German thrift through the South 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 17 

and the great West, and recognized in it one of the most potent 
factors in that development of the country which ex-President 
Roosevelt happily called "winning the West." Many of the old 
German diaries kept by the Hessians during the American Revolu- 
tion noted this difference between the English and German methods 
of tilling the soil, and pointed out the superiority of the German 
farms in Pennsylvania, Xew Jersey, New York, Maryland, and 
Virginia, and emphasized the German barn, the German wagon, and 
the German thrift as the striking features of this German economy. 

But the little German town of 1683 introduced other cultural 
elements besides the textile and agricultural economy and thrift 
already mentioned. The German settlers of Germantown brought 
with them the academic culture of the Old World. Pastorius, the 
founder of the colony, was a scholar of the university type which 
has come to be dominant in American civilization at the present 
time. He had studied at the best universities; had traveled in 
Germany, Holland, England, France, and Switzerland; was able to 
speak and write seven languages, Greek, Latin, English, Dutch, 
German, Italian, and French, and occasionally cite even Hebrew. 
Pastorius was the forerunner of that multitude of German educators, 
scholars, and scientists who have been the schoolmasters and the 
pioneers in American education during the nineteenth century, and 
transformed our old colleges into universities with laboratories and 
libraries as centers of research. 

These are some of the contributions made by the Germans to our 
American civilization. The modest beginnings of the jurist school- 
master Pastorius and his fellow-pioneers in Germantown in 1683 have 
become the dominant characteristics of the new America of our day. 
It was in Germantown that men like Pastorius, Rittenhous, Sauer, 
and many others of later date wrote their names high on the scroll 
of American history. The early men of Germantown were men 
of piety and loved liberty. They issued the famous protest against 
slavery in 1688. But they loved still more, like their successors, 
law and order in the Commonwealth, and were themselves exemplars 
of orderly American citizenship. 

Mr. Moore. Will you say a word before you close as to the actual 
condition of the settlement ? 

Doctor Learned. The settlement of Germantown was made under 
the joint auspicies of the Frankfort Company and the Crefeld pur- 
chasers. Both of these groups of Germans bought extensive tracts 
of land in Pennsylvania. They were not persecuted, as many other 
American colonists, but came to America to improve their condi- 
tion. The leading Crefelders as well as the Frankfort Company were 
land speculators. Jacob Telner and a number of other Crefelders 
bought from 5,000 to 1,000 acres of land from William Penn, and 
planned to settle their fellow-townsmen upon these grants. The 
consideration mentioned in a number of these deeds is £100 for 5,000 
acres, or a proportionate sum for smaller tracts. The Frankfort 
Land Company, with Pastorius a as its agent, purchased 25,000 acres 
of land in Pennsylvania, but because of the small number who had 

a For passage characterizing Pastorius Bee Learned 's " Life of Pastorius," p. 226, 
bottom. 

42934—10 2 



18 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 

come with Pastorius to represent the company was unable to secure 
from Penn a separate grant. Pastorius then united the Cref elders 
and his own Frankfurters, and secured a grant of 6,000 acres for 
both groups on the present site of Germantown and neighborhood. 
Penn had already spoken of granting to the Germans a large tract for 
a compact settlement, which he first called Franckenland, but the 
name finally fixed upon by Pastorius for the colony was German- 
town, which was founded on the 24th of October, 1683, and consisted 
of the thirteen families of Crefelders and nine representatives of the 
Frankfort Company, including Pastorius, 41 persons in all. The 
Crefelders were Quakerized Mennonites, and Pastorius, while 
nominally a Lutheran, strongly sympathized with the Quakers and 
the Mennonites. 

Mr. Moore. Mr. Chairman, we have one other gentleman whom I 
should like to have speak. He is a representative of the National 
German-American Alliance beyond the Pennsylvania line — the presi- 
dent of the New York State Branch of the National German Alliance, 
Mr. Theodore Sutro, of New York City, a member of the New York 
bar. 

STATEMENT OF MR. THEODORE SUTRO, OF NEW YORK CITY. 

Mr. Sutro. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, after the fascinating and 
learned exposition of Doctor Hexamer and Professor Learned, as to 
the history of the German colonists and the contributions of Germans 
to the development of this country, it is unnecessary for me to enter 
into any further account of these interesting details. 

The demand among the German population of the United States 
for some commemoration of the first colonization here by Germans is 
unanimous. I may say, on behalf of the Empire State, which I rep- 
resent in this alliance, as president of the German-American Alliance 
of the State of New York, and also president of the United German 
Societies of the city of New York, that these organizations have 
passed resolution after resolution strongly upholding and favoring 
such a commemoration, through some monument, of the first landing 
of the first Germans that really spread industry and culture in the 
directions you have heard from the preceding speakers. And at the 
national convention of this great German-American National 
Alliance at Cincinnati, last October, at which almost every State in 
the Union was represented through delegates, a resolution was 
unanimously adopted in support of this project. So I may say that 
while we are only three here before you this morning we are the 
mouthpieces, beyond question, of the sentiment of the entire German 
population of the United States. 

The appropriateness of erecting a monument, particularly at 
Philadelphia, where Independence Hall is located, is apparent from 
what has been said; but, aside from that, Pennsylvania is even to- 
day, you might say, typically the most German State in the Union. 
And, furthermore, in expressing the sentiment of the German popu- 
lation of the country, as to the proper place for the erection of a 
monument of this kind, I could think of no more suitable spot than 
Germantown, because the very name ''Germantown" would sug- 
gest, in its choice, a recognition on the part of Congress of what the 
German- Americans have contributed to this countrv. We want this 



MONUMENT AT GEEMANTOWN. 19 

federal recognition on behalf of the people of the United States of 
what our German forebears have done in building up our great 
Republic. What Plymouth Rock is to New England and to the 
spread of education, religion, and civilization generally from that end, 
we may fairly say Germantown is to Pennsylvania, and to the spread 
of the same high and worthy objects from that point southward and 
westward. 

If the Congress of the United States has, in the discretion which is 
vested in it under the Constitution of the United States, under the 
clause to provide for the public welfare, seen fit to erect monuments 
to heroes in various localities in this country, and to commemorate 
great historical epochs by great expositions, certainly nothing could 
be more inspiring, nothing would be a greater lesson in patriotism and 
education, than the erection of a monument where the dawn of civili- 
zation, whether it be German or whatever it might be — although it 
was German in this instance — first appeared upon the horizon in this 
country, this dawn of civilization in the direction that has been 
explained to you by the speakers who have preceded me. 

I only want to point out in a general way and very briefly why this 
particular monument should be erected and at Germantown. There 
are plenty of precedents in the many expositions that have been 
held in this country, for which large appropriations were made by 
Congress, the most important of which were intended to commemorate 
great historical epochs, such as the Centennial Exposition in Phila- 
delphia, the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, to commemorate the 
discovery of America, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. 
Louis, the Jamestown Exposition, and latterly, the Lewis and Clark 
Exposition in Oregon to commemorate the discovery of Oregon by 
Lewis and Clark; if those events deserved to be celebrated, how much 
more ought we, through some memorial pile, call the attention of 
future generations in this country to the people who were among its 
founders, and who were among the greatest patriots that have ever 
come to these shores. You have also commemorated, through monu- 
mental structures, the battlefields of the country, at Gettysburg and 
at other spots; how much more inspiring and how much better is 
the lesson that would be taught by perpetuating the memoiy of the 
first colonization at Germantown from which sprung those charac- 
teristics of civilization for which we are really living and for which 
our Government exists. 

I want to take this occasion, also, to call to your attention the fact 
that the enlightened and progressive monarch who rules over the Ger- 
man Empire has shown not only his friendliness but his desire to con- 
tribute to the highest aspirations in this country. The German house 
at the Chicago exposition was one of the greatest features of that 
event; the German Museum at Harvard contains a wealth of contri- 
butions from the German Emperor and here, right under the shadow 
of the Capitol, stands the statue of Frederick the Great, which the 
Emperor of Germany presented to this Nation. I only mention these 
facts in order to refer to the appropriateness of recognizing the achieve- 
ments here of the first people who came from that country and who, 
together with their successors, contributed so much to the upbuilding 
of the United States, by erecting this monument in the most suitable 
spot in America, at Germantown. I might even say that we might 
think at the present moment of the extraordinary and unprecedented 



20 MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWX. 

attentions which the Emperor is about to show and intended to show 
to a greater extent even than will be possible, in view of the sad event 
which has occurred in the death of the British monarch, to Theodore 
Roosevelt, the man who certainly is at the present time regarded in 
Europe as the representative of this nation. So, under all the cir- 
cumstances, considering the relations between this country and Ger- 
many, considering the fact that Pennsylvania is almost a German- 
speaking State, that the spot where we ask that this monument be 
erected is called Germantown, and that there the first actual German 
colony, as a colony, was settled in 1683, I ask that this bill be favor- 
ably reported and passed, and in asking this I know that I represent 
the unanimous sentiment of the German element in the United States. 

Mr. Bueke. Mr. Moore, I would like you to make a brief statement 
as to just what your bill contemplates and the amount authorized to 
be expended and how you arrive at the amount. I presume you have 
taken some precedent for the amount stated. 1 would like also to 
know where the monument is to be erected. 

Mr. Mooee. The National German-American Alliance has under- 
taken to raise $30,000 as a basis lor the monument, and in order that 
it be given a nation-wide character they have asked that that amount 
be duplicated by the Government so that the citizens everywhere, 
those of German descent as well as all other good citizens, may under- 
stand that the Government appreciates, at least to the extent of this 
contribution, the influence of the German character in the United 
States. 

Mr. Bueke. What is propose* I to be erected I 

Mr. Mooee. Doctor Hexamer has in mind plans, and I shall ask 
him to tell just what they are. They contemplate the erection of a 
pedestal, of course, and upon that a memorial the design of which is 
to be determined by a committee to consist of the Secretary of War, 
the governor of Pennsylvania, and the president of the National 
German-American Alliance, representative as it is of the German- 
American settlers in the United States. 

Mr. Burke. Where is it proposed to erect it — upon what spot or 
place ? 

Mr. Mooee. At a place called Vernon Park, in Germantown, in the 
ver}^ heart of Germantown, and the scene of very many of the incidents 
of the life of Pastorius and his compatriots. It would be in the very 
center of all that we hold to be historic. 

Mr. Bueke. Germantown is a part of the city of Philadelphia? 

Mr. Mooee. Germantown is one of the wards of the city of Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr. Bueke. It is not a municipality by itself? 

Mr. Mooee. No, it is not; it is part of Philadelphia. It is not a 
part of the old city proper; it is a part of the consolidated city which 
is encompassed in an area of 129 square miles. Germantown, of 
course, at the time of the settlement of Pastorius, was quite remote 
from the Delaware River, where they first made their appearance, and, 
as Doctor Hexamer has explained, the settlers started by living in 
caves and such crude habitations as they could devise to offset the 
winter. 

Mr. Thomas. Germantown is now one of the city wards? 

Mr. Mooee. Yes, sir. 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 21 

Mr. Thomas. I suppose you have fixed the amount of your bill, 
Mr. Moore, about the same as the monument for Pro vincetown, Mass. ? 

Mr. Moore. I forget just what Pro vincetown cost. Was it 
$80,000 ? 

Doctor Hexamer. The bill appropriating for the erection of a 
monument at Pro vincetown, or the Plymouth Rock, carried $40,000. 

Mr. Moore. In view of the tremendous historic interest of this set- 
tlement and the influence of the descendants of these people upon the 
whole country I personally feel, and I am quite sure all associations 
favoring the passage of this bill feel, the amount asked for is exceed- 
ingly modest; that it is comparatively modest. 

Mr. Thomas. As compared with other appropriations? 

Mr. Moore. Yes. 

Mr. Burke. The bill would have to be changed in some respects. 
We do not make an appropriation, to begin with; we only authorize. 
That is the first change that would have to be made. 

Mr. Moore. I had to do with the passage of the Grand Army 
memorial appropriation in the District of Columbia and 

Mr. Burke. However, that is a matter that is immaterial at this 
time. 

Mr. Moore. The phraseology of the bill can very easily be changed 
to meet that condition. 

Mr. Burke. You do not say anything in regard to the site. 

Mr. Moore. No; the site was to be determined by the committee, 
headed by the Secretary of War; they would be better able to deter- 
mine that, perhaps, than Congress. 

Mr. Burke. Is the site to be purchased ? 

Doctor Hexamer. The site will be furnished by the city of Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr. Moore. That is the understanding. 

Doctor Hexamer. We have already laid a corner stone there for 
the monument. 

Mr. Burke. I am merely asking these questions in order that we 
may have this information if the bill is considered with a view of 
reporting it. The bill is so drawn as to provide for a site. 

Mr. Moore. I had no opportunity this morning to consult with 
Doctor Hexamer; he is entirely familiar with the local conditions. I 
have not been in Germantown for some months and am, therefore, 
unable to say what the local conditions are. If you will permit, I 
think he can tell you exactly. 

Mr. Burke. If the site is to be furnished that should be one of 
the conditions for the authorization. 

Mr. Moore. My understanding is that the site is to be furnished. 

Doctor Hexamer. The city of Philadelphia has already given us 
the site. 

Mr. Burke. I want to make a further suggestion. Your bill does 
not now provide — at least I would not be able to understand from 
it what becomes of the money appropriated — how it is going to be 
spent and what disposition is going to be made of the money that is 
contributed. We reported a bill the other day, which I call to your 
attention because it may give you a precedent, authorizing an 
appropriation for the marking of the Oregon Trail, and that bill 
contemplates contributions. It is provided that those contributions 
shall be paid into the Treasury of the United States, into a fund to 



22 MONUMENT AT GERMAN TOWN. 

be known as the Oregon Trail fund, and the money is to be ex- 
pended and accounted for as other moneys paid into the Treasury. 
I offer that as a suggestion to you. That will strengthen your bill 
and make it easier of passage. 

Mr. Moore. Is it your suggestion that the money thus far con- 
tributed by those who desire to participate in this fund should be 
deposited in the Treasury ? 

Air. Burke. I do not think there ought to be any doubt on the 
part of the Government as to how much is contributed or expended. 
If your proposition is that the Government appropriate $30,000 and 
you propose to contribute a like sum, then, in order that the Govern- 
ment may know that you have contributed that sum and that it is 
being expended in equal amount, the money should be accounted 
for, and it can not be accounted for unless paid into the Treasury. 
I would suggest that you get a copy of the Oregon Trail bill. 

Mr. Moore. I will, and look it over. And I would like to say this, 
Mr. Burke, the custom has been, as I recall it, so far as the District 
of Columbia is concerned, to have the Government donate the site 
and to pay for the pedestal, and those who desire to erect the monu- 
ment to contribute the balance. 

Mr. Thomas. These suggestions are simply made by Mr. Burke 
for the purpose of permitting you to perfect your bill, which is well 
drawn, but the committee has recently made some amendments to 
the Oregon Trail bill in regard to the moneys contributed by private 
individuals. I would suggest that you look at that bill. 

Mr. Moore. I will cheerfully do everything possible to conform to 
the wishes of the committee. In the case of the Grand Army monu- 
ment the site was donated by the Government and the Government 
paid for the construction of the pedestal, and the monument was 
erected and paid for by the contributors to the fund. 

Mr. Burke. As the German people of the country are interested, 
and as they have a representative in the House, I would like to know 
what Doctor Bartholdt has to say in regard to this particular measure. 

Mr. Moore. I was going to introduce Doctor Bartholdt in order 
that you might have the benefit of his judgment. 

STATEMENT OF *H0N. RICHARD BARTHOLDT, A REPRESENTA- 
TIVE FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Mr. Bartholdt. I have but a word to say. I am heartily in favor 
of this bill. It is not a clannish project, but an American project. 
The Germans have a way of celebrating festivals, not for the com- 
memoration of events in the old country, or events notable in German 
history, but they always commemorate and celebrate events in 
American history. The event which has been celebrated in this 
country for the last twenty years by the German organizations of the 
United States is the landing of the first German colony in German- 
town, and it is to commemorate that event that this bill has been 
introduced, and I hope it will pass. 

Mr. Burke. You can say it is your opinion that the Germans of 
the country approve of this bill % 

Mr. Bartholdt. They do not only approve of it, but they are very 
enthusiastic about it. 



MONUMENT AT GERMANTOWN. 23 

Mr. Bartholdt. There is no dissension whatever: they expect 
Congress to take favorable action at as early a date as possible. 

Mr. Thomas. Is there any dissension as to the location of the 
monument ? 

Mr. Bartholdt. If there is any I have not heard of it. Everyone 
knows that that colony landed at Germantown, and the -fact that it is 
proposed to erect a monument on that spot seems to be satisfactory 
to everybody. 

Another thing, with respect to the raising of the $30,000 by private 
subscription. I wish to remind you of a precedent and of the cooper- 
ation between the Government and private enterprise. When the 
St. Louis World's Fair was held $5,000,000 were supposed to be 
raised by the citizens of that city and $5,000,000 to be contributed 
by the Government. It was arranged that as soon as the treasurer 
of that organization would certify to the Secretary of the Treasury 
that the amount of money had been fully subscribed then the pay- 
ment of the Government's money was made. 

Mr. Burke. The Secretary of the Treasury being satisfied ? 

Mr. Bartholdt. Yes. For instance, if the treasurer of the German 
American Alliance, after the money has been collected, will certify to 
the Secretary of the Treasury, "I have on hand now, as a result of 
these private subscriptions, the amount necessary to require the 
Government's contribution of $30,000," then I should think there 
would be no more question about it. 

Mr. Burke. My only reason for making the suggestion is that this 
matter came up the other day: That frequently commissions are 
organized to undertake work of this kind; they seek appropriations 
from the Government and they are expended and they are expended 
by the commissions in any way they see fit; frequently they are 
expended for salaries and for expenses that, perhaps, are not entirely 
legitimate in connection with the enterprise. I mention this for the 
reason that it would be easier to get the legislation if all of these 
matters were fully covered. 

I would suggest to Mr. Moore that he get a copy of the Oregon 
Trail bill, which provides that the amount appropriated shall not be 
available until the amount is contributed, which, I think, is named, 
they having offered to contribute a certain amount, and the money is 
to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of War, as I 
remember it, and the money contributed shall be paid into the 
Treasury and created as a fund known as the Oregon trail fund. I 
think the bill provides that the money shall be expended and accounted 
for as other public moneys are accounted for. Then you know 
exactly where your money goes and how much has been contributed. 

Mr. Moore. That seems to me to be a matter of detail, and I sup- 
pose these gentlemen here, representing this project, will be satisfied 
with any arrangement you may make. I should like to say that 
Doctor Hexamer informs me that $10,000 has already been raised 
for this purpose. I had not thought of using tin's bill as an adver- 
tisement for the collection of funds. 

Mr. Burke. Your bill provides for a contribution? 

Mr. Moore. It does. 

(Thereupon, at 12 o'clock in., the committee adjourned.) 

O 



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